Independence Day
by Youhaveabadconnection
Summary: A small town finds their upcoming festivities chilled with the grisly murder of several men. When the BAU arrives, a young FBI agent meets them, already on the case. Who is she? What is her relation to Rossi? and will they catch their killer?
1. In the dark of the night

_Hey, so I'm really looking for a beta! If you'd like to Beta for this story, message me on here or at Jump (underscore) some (underscore) Puddles at hotmail . com! I'm going to try to keep with the general plot shape they use on the t.v. show, so I might end up making a series if you guys show enough enthusiasm. I love all kinds of reviews, flamers just help me improve, but if you don't like the story, don't read it. I've got a LOT of free time, so I'll try to update frequently ^_^_

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The small all-American town lay in a sort of hushed waiting. The streets spic and span, with garlands and banners hanging in the air, waiting for the weekend, with all the celebrations taking place. It was the type of town where everybody knew everybody, seemingly the perfect town. Only a few of the doll-like houses had lights on at this hour, their manicured lawns reflecting the lights of a late night talk show, or the news network; the only thing that disturbed this hushed world.

In one of the few lit houses, a man lay on the couch, easily seen through the large picture window, with images of a war that seemed worlds away ghosting across his slack face, the announcers voice unintelligible over the sounds of his occasional snore.

Upstairs, if one had bothered to take a look, one would have found a woman laying asleep in the master bedroom, sprawled across the pillows. In the room next door, two boys, identical to their mother, lay in separate beds, with only a small night light illuminating their angelic faces.

A small click may have alerted this perfect family that something was amiss. But in their dream lives, it was simply the cat sneaking in from her nightly hunt, or perhaps one of the rohodendron bushes tapping the dining room windows.

A dark intruder tiptoed into their house, silently across the lush, pale carpet, unnoticed by any.

They quickly finished their work, and left as silently as they came, a silence that would only be disturbed hours later, as a perfect family, and indeed, the entire town found themselves in the middle of a horror that would shake the very foundations of their world...

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_A/N So there's the first chapter, let me know what ya think, and PLEASE if you're interested in being my BETA contact me...PLEASE! and remember, REVIEW!_


	2. Fact and Faces

_So I noticed my fishies in the last chapter didn't work :( so I got a different scene divider. Here's the second chapter, I'm already working on the third!! Please review, and thanks to _**tazlvr2001 **_for adding this story to their alert!_

0_o_0

"Did you know that every Independence Day Americans eat approximately one hundred fifty million hot dogs?" Reid's tenor voice came over the desks of the Behaviour Analysis Unit as Morgan finished a report from their last case.

"That's disgusting!" retorted Garcia, who had been dropping off some papers in Rossi's office. "How can you enjoy that much processed garbage? All that's in them is what's left over from the animals when all the good cuts are taken, like the intestines and fat" Penelope, a self declared vegetarian, shuddered.

Morgan's eyes flashed up at his friend. The dark circles under her eyes had lightened, he was glad. It had been nearly two weeks since she and Kevin had decided to break things off. He shook his head; the silly girl had done it while the team was gone, and he'd returned to find her lacking in sleep and nutrition. He'd spent quite a few evenings and money doing his best to cheer her up. Garcia had put her foot down when he'd turned down a woman who was easily the best looking woman on the floor below them for her. "I agree with you, babe. I like my steak as much as the next man, but I cut it off when the food comes pre-chewed."

JJ took that moment to stick her head into the room, a large sheaf of papers in her hand. "Hey guys, you might want to come in here and look at this.

0_o_0

Four men were displayed on the board. As they all took their seats, JJ began her monologue. "Four men in two weeks; Jared Teague, Michael Williams, Danny Adams, and Nathaniel Parks. All were found with their throats slashed."

"Where were they found?" questioned Reid, putting on his glasses to read the handout.

"Various places. Teague was found in his vehicle on a popular highway leading out of town. Williams was found in the local park. Adams was found just outside a pub, and Parks was found yesterday morning on his living room couch."

"Was anyone else home?"

JJ looked at Prentiss, who had asked the question. "Yes, his wife found him when she got up in the morning. Both their sons were home."

"And no one heard anything?" Rossi murmured, looking at the photos.

"No."

"So why do they think it's a serial? The only thing these men have in common is that their throats were slashed. Age, ethnicity, social background is all different." Morgan was flipping through the pages of the background information.

"All four men were mutilated post mortem"

"How?" said Hotch, narrowing his eyes.

"All four were stabbed in the stomach multiple times. And each had their...uh...genitals removed."

0_o_0

As the team pulled into town, Morgan started looking around. "This hardly looks like the kind of place you'd find a serial killer. It's so normal."

"It's kind of eerie," replied Reid. "Like a live Stepford, I'm waiting for the robots to come out and kidnap us."

Morgan looked over at his partner. Reid was looking out the window, watching small children play in the park, and people greet each other outside of the little shops. "Dude, you're really morbid. You can't say that your growing up was all that terribly different."

Reid snorted. "I grew up in Vegas, how much more different does it get?"

As the SUV's pulled into the local police station, a young woman stepped out. Morgan wouldn't have noticed her, if it weren't for two things. First, in a town that was obviously peaceful, the large, visible scar running diagonal her neck was disturbing. Second, her hair stood out like a huge flame in the afternoon sun.

The men got out of their vehicle, and followed Hotch and JJ up to the woman. Rossi quickly stepped in front of Hotchner, looking at the woman curiously. "Kyle?" He asked pulling his eyebrows together in confusion.

"David." The young woman strode up to the profiler, and hugged him, earning some very confused glances from the rest of the team. Rossi was the first to pull away. "May I introduce the BAU team? Guys, this is Kyle Valentine. I've known her for sixteen years."

Kyle held out her hand to Hotchner, smiling ruefully. "I'm Agent Valentine, obviously."

Hotchner shook cautiously, "I didn't realise any other Bureaus were involved with the investigation."

"They're not," Valentine replied, leading them into the cool dark of the station, towards a small conference room. "I've been here for three months as an intern of sorts."

Prentiss watched the young woman pull up photos of the crime scene on a projector. "All of the victims were found in the early morning, by farmers, post officers, early risers. Their families didn't realise they were missing until the police arrived at their houses." Valentine looked at the team, "All of these men were respected within their community, no one has any idea why someone would want to kill them." She glanced at the table for a moment, then: "if you'll excuse me, I'll collect the photos and reports for you. The entire department here in Liberty is at your disposal." She made her way out quietly, closing the door behind her.

Hotch turned to Rossi. "How do you know her, Dave?"

"She looks familiar, I just can't place her, but I think I've seen her before," muttered Reid.

Rossi turned to Reid. "That's because you probably have. Kyle Valentine was the only survivor of Alan Destard."

JJ turned to look at Rossi quickly. "I remember that case, it took place in Alaska."

"six women in less than a month, all were sexually abuse and murdered inside their own homes," Morgan cut in. "Kyle was the young girl that escaped just before the cops came in, wasn't she?"

Rossi nodded, "Her mother died en route to the hospital. I cuffed the bastard myself." He looked down at his hands, "we've kept in loose touch over the years. She took her profiling exam while I was considering coming out of retirement. She joked," Rossi continued. "That I _had_ to, because we were going to work together some day."

A soft cough from the doorway alerted them all to the redheads return to the room. She hefted a box through the door, followed by a young man with another. "This is all the evidence that we have, all open to your disposal. I know you usually hold back press reports for a while, but in a town like this, if we don't make a statement soon, the hysteria is going to make this even worse than it already is."

Hotchner looked at the young woman. "When you said all the resources were open to us, did that include you?"

Valentine looked at him in surprise. "Of course, just tell me what you need me to do."

Hotchner looked out at the department's hive-like activity. "This is a small town, and we don't have time to earn the people's trust."

Valentine nodded understandingly, "I can go with your agents and help with convincing people to help with the case. Anything else?"

Hotchner shook his head. "Not at the moment. Reid, take Ms. Valentine here and go to the latest victims house. Find out what you can, and try to talk to the widow, see if there's anything she can add to this."

0_o_0

_A/N So I still need a Beta! Let me know what you think, now that we actually have some story :)_


	3. Drawings and Deceivers

_Okay, chapter three is up, and I still don't have any reviews :( If you didn't realise this, I do not own anything recognisable from the TV show Criminal Minds. If I did, Reid would be my pet. And Garcia would be my bff, but that's hardly important. Enjoy_

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Pulling up to the Parks house, Reid once again experienced a feeling of disturbing perfection. Sliding on a pair of sunglasses, he followed Valentine up to the front door. The young woman glanced over at him before quickly ringing the bell.

While waiting for an answer, Reid took a moment to look her over. Dark dress pants and a light green shirt. So she took herself seriously. But not too seriously, he noted, as she had several colourful bangles on each wrist and multiple ear piercings in each ear, with each holding a different coloured stud.

The door opening drew Reid from his musings, as a blonde woman welcomed them in. "Kyle," she said, ushering them into the living room. "I assume that you've brought the professionals in with you?" the woman gave Reid a handshake and turned back to Valentine. "Not," she continued. "That you aren't a professional. But you've been with us for so long you're part of the scenery."

Valentine smiled softly, and sat beside the blonde. "Carol, this is Dr. Reid, ha works for the FBI. Now I know you've done this already, but he needs to ask you a few questions."

"Of course," Mrs. Parks replied, gesturing for Reid to sit down.

Reid sat across from her, "Mrs. Parks, do you know anyone who would want to hurt your husband?"

"No, everyone loved Nate; he was coach of the soccer team and head of the neighbourhood watch."

Reid nodded. "Now, did you notice anything missing? A picture, or anything small?"

Carol looked at him strangely. "Now that you mention it, I can't find his tie. Nathaniel was always very organized; each shirt had a matching tie, and I can't find the one that goes with the shirt he was wearing when-" She cut off abruptly, trying desperately to compose herself. Two small boys chose that moment to appear in the doorway. Kyle glanced at them, then looked at Reid. He nodded at her, and she took the children to a different part of the house, as he asked the young widow some more questions.

The two met in front of the SUV soon after, Valentine was carrying a sheet of paper. She handed it to Reid, and then eased the car out of park. Reid opened the folded paper, and saw a child's drawing of a man and a woman with dark brown hair.

"Who is this?" Reid asked.

"According to Patrick, who drew the picture, it's his father...with his girlfriend."

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"So you think that Nathaniel Parks was cheating on his wife?" Morgan walked around the table, trying to organise some papers.

"If this is true, that makes three of the victims possible adulterers," Hotch looked over at Valentine, who nodded her head in confirmation.

"Both of the other victims were known for it, it caused major drama in town when it was made public. Both of the men left their mistresses and went back to their wives."

"What if they were all with the same woman, and she's getting revenge?" Emily Prentiss asked, she was looking at Hotchner, but it was Morgan who replied.

"Quite possibly."

"May I say something?"

Hotchner looked Valentine in surprise. "Of course, what is it?"

Valentine picked up the photos of the young men. "It makes no sense. All of these men were respected members of the community, whoever started having an affair with them _must_ have known they were married. Not only that, but if she truly believed these men were going to leave their wives for her, she didn't think about the fact that in this town, it would cause serious harm to other aspects of your life. People would avoid your place of work in a sort of judgement." Valentine looked up, "this isn't D.C. divorce is a huge thing in this town."

Hotch nodded at the young woman, then turned to the rest of his team. "Let's get some sleep; we can try figuring this out in the morning."

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_A/N So I still need a Beta, but I'm doing the best I can without one :P Please review!_


	4. Just before dawn

If one was to move their attention to the local gym that night, one would notice a young man carrying his bag out to his car, just as the facility closed. If one paid close enough attention, one would also see a young woman laying in wait in the trees.

The young woman stalked over to the bag-carrying man as he approached the only car in the dimly lit lot. Steam rose from the wet streets from an earlier shower. As she appeared to him, he turned, as if to greet her.

He wouldn't have gotten the chance.

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She stared down at her work, watching the steam from him rise, as if a fresh meal laid on the table. His eyes were still open; she didn't bother closing them. She leaned down, and quietly took something, then stalked away; they'd find him soon enough.


	5. Murders and Motives

_So, I think I'm closing in on the end of the story, and thanks to my one reviewer, who is my hero!_

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Reid hat slept for only a few precious hours before there came a light knock on his door. Used to interruptions like these during cases, he groaned, before rolling out of bed and padding barefoot to his hotel room door.

Kyle had already admired Reid's lean frame (she certainly hoped inconspicuously), but when he opened his door bare-chested, she could help glancing at the lightly muscled torso. Like a whip, she mused. Valentine returned her gaze to Reid's face to find him looking at her quizzically, and flushed lightly.

"There's been another murder. Terrence Rathbone. I'll, uh, wait out here for you to get dressed." Reid nodded, and closed the door softly. Leaning on the other side, he groaned; so much for a decent sleep tonight, he mused. He dressed swiftly, and followed Valentine to the station.

0

"The UnSub obviously knows these men's schedules, they track their victim and find a time where they have enough time to finish their victim, but they'll still be found quickly."

Morgan ran a hand over his head as Hotch talked. He's spent some time in the lounge and had less sleep than most of the others. _Time to start thinking about going to bed sooner,_ he thought to himself. His musings were soon interrupted, by Valentine bringing in a large box of what smelled like the best damn breakfast he'd ever have.

"I've got everything from cold cereal to pancakes and sausages in here," She informed them as she pulled a stack of plates and utensils, followed by some large covered dishes.

"Good idea," replied Reid. "People who eat breakfast are eleven percent less emotionally distressed, and seventeen percent less anxious."

"Not to mention ten percent less likely to suffer from memory and attention span difficulties." Valentine slid in. Reid beamed over at her.

"Oh, my gawd, now we've got two of them on our case," Morgan groaned. Prentiss snickered, and grabbed a stack of the pancakes before they were taken.

Hotch looked at the team, "are we ready to take our profile to the media?"

0

"The killer is someone who knows these mens' schedules. They're meticulous, something that would have spilled into their everyday life. They are friendly, sometimes overly so. The UnSub does their best to insinuate into other people's lives, as if they want to take over." Rossi looked across the assembled police and various others. Most were taking notes, all were staring at him with rapt attention; they wanted to catch the bastard.

Soon the press conference was over, and Rossi was sipping some coffee. He was staring out the window, contemplating, when a middle aged man walked up to him. "Agent? Could I have a moment of your time?"

Rossi looked up, "absolutely, what would you like to talk to me about."

The man looked around nervously, "is there any place more private we can go?"

Rossi led the man to the conference room. "What is it, sir?"

The man sat down heavily. "I don't know if you're aware of this, but I'm Dr. Wokowski. I've run the local hospital for nearly twenty years. I see a lot of bumps and scrapes, and I usually don't say anything; disputes are usually solved easily," Dr. Wokowski mopped his balding forehead with a handkerchief. "I had to think about it, but I'm sure. Jared Teague's wife Alicia came in four years ago with bruises on her arms and chest. Kate Parks showed up not long after with a fractured wrist and a lump on her head the size of an egg. Nancy Adams has come in three times that I'm aware of, and both Prissy Williams and Stephani Rathbone have come with bruised ribs. I'm not going to say anything about anything, but if I weren't a doctor, I'd bet my molars their husbands were responsible." Rossi just stared at the man, who nodded to himself, and let himself out of the department.

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"So these men could all be abusers? That gives us a connection, but not a motive."

Valentine looked over at Morgan, "what if the UnSub is one of our nurses, one with a history of abuse?"

Emily glanced at her, then towards Hotch. "This could be a revenge spree, it would fit."

Morgan called Garcia, putting her on speaker. "Goddess of Knowledge, pray and be heard, ye mortal."

"Hey babe, I need you to find any hospital personnel who have a history of being abused, or abuse in their family." Morgan replied, listening to the quick tapping of Garcia's fingers. He paced around the room as she searched for results.

"Bingo! Just one with any at all. Catherine Cobb's mother apparently set their house on fire when she was eight, killing both her and her husband. Catherine was apparently at the local fair at the time. It seems according to the local paper...Mr. Cobb had a history of abuse, his rap sheet includes two assault charges."

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_A/N ...I can't really think of anything to write. I sent this to a friend who writes, and he bashed the shit out of me for this, he thinks it's terrible :( please tell me I'm wrong by reviewing!_


	6. Pandora's Box

The house was nearly silent, but for the sound of pen scratching paper. If one was to look around the house, one would find reams of loose-leaf with tiny, cramped writing, with horrible descriptions and obsessive words. On the wall in the office, where she was sitting in the light of a single candle, the word "revenge" had been carved into the plaster. She wrote endlessly, without pause. The candle that had started as a full taper was in the last moments of life. The scratching continued even as the flame sputtered and coughed its way out of existence, leaving the pen to be illuminated by the light of a sliver of moon, but the hand still did not stop.

Even a large crash and the call of "FBI" did not stop the frenzied ink from being drawn. Thunderous footsteps travelled throughout the house, culminating in the corner room, the only one with an occupant. When the cuffs were applied, the young woman turned to the people in her house.

"I saved them, I did! They could have been killed. Those men deserve what I did to them! They are the scum of the earth! They didn't deserve to breathe! They-"

Intruders came and went, and eventually the house was refurbished and painted, and a young couple moved in, never truly realising the horror that had been planned within its walls. The young wife painted the corner room a sunny yellow, and as her stomach grew, filled it with things of happiness.

Where there had once been anger and hurt, now the house harboured only hope.


	7. Talks and Transfers

_So this is the last chapter! I'm done, but I'm totally going to make another story, continuing on!_

**0**

**SIX WEEKS LATER...**

Agent Hotchner was just finishing a paper when a tentative knock came to his door. "Come in," he called, pulling another report in front of him. A young woman with dramatically short red hair tip toed in.

"Sir, you asked to see me?" Kyle Valentine took the seat offered her, and sat on the edge of it. "If there was something wrong with the investigation, if I did something wrong, I'm terribly sorry, and I take full responsibility, and I'll do everythi-"

Hotch raised a hand against the wave of words rushing out the young woman's mouth. "You took your profiler exam, right?"

Valentine looked at him strangely. "Yes sir, it's on my resume."

Hotchner raised his eyebrows at her. "What would you think about a transfer?"

"Sir, you mean to the BAU? I'd love it, but I don't have the experience or credentials to warrant it."

Hotch smiled. "It seems one David Rossi, profiler extraordinaire and favourite of my boss, was more than willing to give you all the praise you needed. Of course, the added commendations of Spencer Reid helped you greatly." Hotch smiled again, "it seems he likes your use of statistics."

Valentine grinned embarrassedly; she and Reid had talked occasionally online, they had more in common than they'd realised. "All right sir, when do I start?"

JJ poked her head in the door, "we need you at the round table, it's a big one."

Hotchner stood up and buttoned his suit jacket. He walked to the door, then turned to Valentine.

"Right now"

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_A/N cedricsowner? THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! You were so nice to me! I hope you look out for the next story!_

_PS: If you didn't realise it, this story was inspired by Independence Day by Martina McBride. Check out the video, it's worth watching_


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